


Agni's Judgment

by SailorHaumea



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: 100 Year War (Avatar TV), Air Nomad Genocide (Avatar), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Assassination Plot(s), Fire Nation (Avatar), Fire Nation Royal Family, Not Beta Read, One Shot, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:20:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22191691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorHaumea/pseuds/SailorHaumea
Summary: Following the Air Nomad Genocide, Sozin loses his firebending.
Kudos: 58





	Agni's Judgment

**Author's Note:**

> Kinda vaguely inspired by ZenzaNightwing's fic series about the spirits abandoning Ozai after Zuko gets banished. This fic is kinda rugged around the edges, honestly.

The fire goes out after the last Air Temple falls.

When the last monk is cut down by Fire Nation soldiers at the Northern Air Temple, this is accompanied by the fire of the Royal Family being extinguished instantaneously, in that the flames around the Fire Lord's throne dissipate without warning, the flames across the Royal Palace go out all at once (whether they're in a lantern or in an oven or anything else), and Fire Lord Sozin finds himself unable to firebend.

Rumors start instantaneously. Some suggest that Agni himself has abandoned the Fire Nation, that the act of genocide using his gift displeased him so greatly that he forsook the royal family. Others whisper that such ideas are treasonous, that _don't you know the Air Nomads had an army_.

It becomes known as Agni's Judgment among those who ascribe to the former hypothesis. Those who use the term are forced to be careful about who they use it around, lest someone overhears them and lets the police know that someone is saying treasonous things.

The fact that the Royal Family loses its connection with fire even as Sozin's Comet streaks through the sky, strengthening the firebending of everyone else, is not lost on the world. _It must be a sign. Those loyal to Sozin are being denied the privilege of enjoying this gift that comes only once in a lifetime_ , the naysayers whisper.

Fire Lord Sozin quickly begins to unravel. Without his firebending, his hold on the throne is tenuous at best. Who ever heard of a Fire Lord who can't firebend?

And the rumors keep building. A source within the Royal Palace lets slip to someone that Fire Lord Sozin went to visit the island where Avatar Roku lived just before Roku died. There are murmurs that Fire Lord Sozin possibly had something to do with Avatar Roku's death. _Weren't the Fire Lord and the Avatar friends since childhood? How could he do something so unspeakable to someone he grew up with?_

And Sozin's grip slips further. Not only are there now people questioning if what happened to the Air Nomads was in fact actually an act of genocide and he has lost Agni's gift, he also now has to deal with the fact that people are starting to suspect the truth about what happened to Roku. A Fire Lord who killed one Avatar and committed genocide in the hopes of killing another, and who has no fire anymore, is not exactly the Fire Lord the people want.

Plans are formulated for coups, and Sozin's forces prepare for a counter-coup if need be. There are various factions wanting to get rid of a Fire Lord who has disrespected Agni as much as Sozin has. Some want his brother, Prince Kazuki, on the throne. The choice would make sense - Prince Kazuki shared Sozin's stated goal of sharing the Fire Nation's prosperity with the other nations, but unlike Sozin appeared to be _sincere_ about it. He wished for the Fire Nation and the other nations to exchange concepts and wealth and ideas in a peaceful manner, through trade and diplomatic meetings and other methods, rather than through a bloody imperialist war that had already annihilated an entire nation _as the opening salvo_. He had been a vocal critic of the war so far, as well. He makes a great compromise candidate.

Others suggest having Sozin be replaced with his son, Prince Azulon, who shares Sozin's imperialist ideology, hypothesizing that if they get rid of Sozin, that will be sufficient, and the war can continue on its current course.

There is also a faction proposing Sozin be replaced by his younger son, Prince Atsumaru, although Prince Atsumaru is generally regarded as not having any offending characteristics by virtue of the fact that he doesn't appear to ascribe to an ideology at all. Detractors point out this risks an inexperienced and soft-willed Fire Lord taking the throne, one who would be easily manipulated. Supporters counter that Prince Atsumaru's lack of experience is a benefit, that he will be more willing to listen to the masses rather than be encouraged to follow his worst instincts by his advisors.

The debate transitions from being simply hypothetical to being a serious question the night that Sozin dies. Assassins sneak into his chambers in the dead of night and kill him. It is clear that the guards had _allowed_ the assassins into the Palace, that Sozin had so utterly disgraced himself that even those who swore an oath to guard him with their lives were eager to assist in his killing.

The Fire Nation collapses into anarchy in the wake of Sozin's demise. Civil war begins. The various factions try to install their favored Prince on the throne.

And the entire world watches as the Fire Nation comes to terms with the fact that Sozin so greatly disrespected Agni that he lost everything as his punishment. Their leader is dead. The nation is reeling, fracturing into pieces as warlords and self-proclaimed emperors and kings stake their claims on various parts of the land.

Agni passed his judgment.


End file.
